299 Comments

great list, nicole. i used to make one of these lists each year. don’t know why i stopped. i think you just inspired me to start again (although i might have to wait… i turn 31 in 23 days… not sure i can do 31 things before then!)

I just had to laugh at number 27. Not even Michael Stipe can sing all those words without help. I was about 10 rows back at at REM concert once and when he got to that song, he pulled out a little sheet of paper, unfolded it and explained that he sometimes forgets the words.

Love the list! There are a few things on there I would like to do. Stop drinking soda for one! :) We stopped using paper towels and instead used baby wash cloths for a long time. They seemed to be the perfect size. We had an over abundance of them after my kids were out of the baby stage.

Ps. I have a friend who is a wizard at taking family photos, because her full-time gig is teaching fourth grade! I’m happy to send you her info if you’d like. Don’t want to be too spammy by posting it here.

What a list! You’re definitely going to be my inspiration. I, too, am looking 30 in the face and think this would be a great way to ensure I get the most out of what little is left of our twenties. Best of luck to you!!!

Revlon liquid eyeliner is the best and a great price for learning. I have used it for years in Blackest Black (there are a variety of colors but being a child of the eighties I cannot seem to stray from Black eyeliner!!). You can use one hand and don’t even need to pull at your lid once you get the hang of it!! Good luck with the list! I hit the thirty mark two years ago and it has proven to be the best decade yet!! Next on my list: babies..whoops think my husband just hit the floor!!

Awesome list! Perfect mix of “quirky” and “practical,” if you know what I mean. I have no doubt you’ll accomplish all of those things… can can’t wait to see you with red hair and the “perfect” lipstick! :)

Emily

March 1, 2010 at 2:08 pm

I love this list, I need to make one of these! Perhaps we need to take your family photo at Farnsworth :) We have been there, it really is beautiful. Just cross your fingers for no floods this year!! Seriously, would be awesome.

You certainly are quite a gal for still being under 30!!! I just turned 30 in December and I can honestly say that this has been my best year yet! I wish you the best :) What a great list! I am slowly working through my list of 31 things before turning 31 :) It’s been fun!

I recommend checking out Aveda for the lipstick. I am not much of a lipstick girl, but I have 3 Aveda lipsticks that I love (Fossil, Sutra, and Sheer Roseleaf). I’m pretty pleased that I’m hitting one of my life to-do’s this year (also my 30th), which is to living in another country. I think having these lists is fun, as long as you don’t give yourself a hard time if you don’t get to them all.

That is a great list. I’ve been working on the no soda thing for awhile. I have no will power.
I find it so funny that a) Eleanor’s birthday is exactly one month after my daughter’s. I like to compare them! And b) now I see that your birthday is exactly one day before mine. Though I’m a year older! :)

Hey, I turn 30 on Sept 24th. :) Well, actually I will be turning 29 for the 2nd time. ;)

I made a list like this about a month ago. I haven’t been brave enough to post it yet. Maybe I will.

I gave up soda in Nov. I was hoping for a dramatic weight drop, which i haven’t seen. I have lost about a lb a week since then… so it all adds up in the end. Whether that is from giving up sodas I don’t know. Just don’t expect a sudden drop of weight. It was easier then I thought it would be.

Kate

March 1, 2010 at 2:45 pm

I’ve been making paper cranes since I was a kid, and now that I’m a teacher, I’ve taught a lot of students how to do it. And I must say, the paper/written instructions aren’t really helpful. But this Wiki (with photos AND a video!) isn’t a bad option… http://www.wikihow.com/Fold-a-Paper-Crane

Kristin

March 1, 2010 at 2:47 pm

Great List!!! It shows so much of your personality; I love the range!

I highly recommend getting a cherry tomato plant. For years I would get one in the spring and put it on my deck. You just get a large pot, one of those cage thingys to support the height of the plant and it does the rest! Keep it watered and give it lots of light and you’ll get to pick away at these beautifully delicious baby tomatoes. I have anything but a green thumb and I was able to pull it off!

I wish I had written a 30 before 30, but I got so sidetracked with wedding planning (I got married a month before turning 30) that I never got around to it. A few of those you could knock off in a flash!

Ashley

March 1, 2010 at 3:07 pm

Excellent list. Now comes to the hard part… making a point to stick to it! Obviously you will succeed because you’re amazing- but I say figure out which tasks are on-going and which are experiential. That way you can enjoy the process without feeling bogged down. Maybe you wouldn’t but I know I always have a running list of what to do next. When I figure out practical ways to achieve my goals then I enjoy the process more. xo

I’m pretty certain that you can check off #26; that eyeglasses-and-argyle picture is the cutest family photo I’ve ever seen in my life!!

Also, the secret to eyeliner is NOT using a pen or pencil.

I wear contact lenses AND I’m a spaz, and there’s only one way to do this successfully: Get yourself a pot of creme/gel-based liner (I like clinique & bobbi brown). Then get yourself a narrow eyeliner brush. Your artist’s instincts will take over.

I did #27 in high school, but now any attempt at repeating it sounds like that scene from Tommy Boy. “Eye of a hurricane, listen to yourself churn, world serves its blah blah bleeds, mumble… mumble… mumble…”

I loved reading your list! I turned 30 last July and decided to get my one and only tattoo: a small hot pink heart with a sewing needle running through it. (it’s my logo that my husband designed for me 5 years ago). It’s just to the right of my right hip bone so no one can see it even if i’m wearing a bathing suit. It was a little memorable gift to myself about why i love being creative and why I love my husband. Haven’t regretted it yet! Good luck!

Betty

March 1, 2010 at 3:24 pm

I am EXACTLY 10 years older than you. Also married, with a daughter (now 4). If you want some advise from an old lady who’s been around the block and shares your birthday, don’t get the tattoo. Just, don’t.

robin

Sarah S

March 1, 2010 at 3:32 pm

I like your list! We’re trying to wean off of paper towels as well. Not completely off them yet, but getting there. I turned all my bathroom and kitchen towels that were getting less soft, or worn, or stained, cut them in half, and used those for rags. (Then I got to go shopping for new towels!). The thing that really helped break the paper towel habit was to then have a convenient place to put the dirty rags after wiping something up. I used an old cloth tote bag, hung on door, that I could throw in the laundry with them. (I actually have two of these bags, so that I still have one in use when the other is in the wash.).

Great list! I will be turning 30 in 11 months and I’ve decided that I’ve got a lot of growing up to do before it happens. I’m terrified of driving, but I’m going to get my license. I’ve finally figured out something I’d like to do and think I’ll be good at so I’m going to start the ball rolling by enrolling in community college in the fall. I just got my second tattoo for my 29th birthday (so I’d say I’m in support of you getting one, ha). All of my doctor’s are now taking my new health insurance so I just this afternoon made all the calls to get a full health workup done. Woohoo for motivation!